Finding the right motto or tagline is tougher than we imagined. We had to struggle to distill our message into as few words as possible, yet convey the essence of what makes Backbone Radio unique. Our previous tagline was “Internet Radio Simplified”. That expression was correct, but it didn’t tell people how radio can be great again.

We like our new tagline better, because it concisely says what we provide: freedom and power. How’s that? Let’s examine the tagline to see what we mean, starting with the noun.

STATION
Backbone creates Internet radio stations. We aren’t in the business of producing “shows” or time slots on existing radio stations. A station is a 24/7, round-the-clock entity, and it always has programs running no matter when a listener tunes in. Maybe listeners will find your station on your station’s website and listen there; maybe on an Internet tuner like TuneIn, iTunes or dar.fm. Maybe on their laptop, desktop, iPhone or Android, or any of hundreds of devices like Roku or their car’s digital dashboard.

The station is what listeners search for. A program or show is what’s playing when they find your station. So, your station could include your show, your choice of PSA’s or none at all, shows contributed by your esteemed colleagues or best friends, shows contributed by people who pay you to air them, or any other audio content you choose. That is the importance of the word YOUR.

YOUR
In traditional over-the-air (OTA) radio, your job is at the will of someone else. Ultimately, that other person is the OTA station owner. He chooses who to hire and who to fire based on fundamental economics, the same way he makes decisions about transmitter maintenance and janitorial services. Your job is always on the line.

You prove your value by bringing in listeners and creating a following, which in turn brings in revenue from sponsors and advertisers. Your value has to pay for your salary plus millions of dollars worth of annual station operating costs.

Imagine for a moment that you converted that value to a station that had no existing overhead burden; you retain your following, your loyal sponsors and you build your own station. You are the station owner, and you call the shots. This is now YOUR station, so where do you put it?

ANYWHERE
This is the key word. Anywhere. The power of radio has always been its ability to connect with people at a very personal level. Want to cover a concert or conference, broadcast an interview from the mayor’s office, or do your show from Cancun? You have the freedom to pick up and go out into the community where things are happening making your radio station more personal.

Obviously, you will need some overhead, but how much? Well, for starters, on the Internet you don’t have to build a tower, so no requirement for real estate, not to mention permission from the FCC, FAA or any other government bureau. And you don’t have to sit in the same old studio day after day. You are free to take your studio with you…anywhere.

Because your Backbone Radio station resides “in the cloud”, your live studio can simply be “a Mac and a mic”, plus maybe a small mixer, in your backpack. As long as you can find an Internet connection (WiFi, 3G/4G, WiMax or other) you can be broadcasting live. Your other hosts for your other shows can similarly go live from their Macbooks from wherever they are at the time.

And since your archived programs and audio, syndicated content, and a very powerful automation system also reside in your station in the cloud, just stop your live broadcast session, and your automated program schedule takes over. Your studio is wherever you are, and your station is always on the air.

So, that’s it in a nutshell. YOUR STATION ANYWHERE. It is a complete radio station, you are in control, and you are free to take it wherever you want without limitation. Now you know what we meant by our tagline and how Backbone is changing radio forever.

Backbone Networks Corporation today announced its College Radio Tuner application for Apple’s iPhone® and iPod Touch® is now available from the iTunes App Store®. This free application showcases the growing IBS Student Radio Network, a collaborative effort between Backbone and the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System.

The College Radio Tuner allows a worldwide mobile audience to find and listen to cutting edge, student-run Internet radio stations. It allows the user to scroll easily through a list of stations, find and click to play live internet radio right on the iPhone or iPod touch, whether connected via WiFi, 3G or Edge networks.

The College Radio Tuner automatically searches for and adds new stations as they become available. Initial release of the tuner includes a complement of twenty five participating IBS-SRN stations, with more joining every month. Among these initial participating stations are those affiliated with Oklahoma State University, Goucher College, and Methodist University.

Stations originate their programs in superior quality MPEG-4 AAC format, the same international standard Apple® uses for its iTunes Store® offerings. The College Radio Tuner is the first RTSP/RTP/AAC player for the iPhone and iPod Touch, bringing the open standards supported across the rest of the Apple product line, including QuickTime®, to these devices.

In addition to streaming music and other audio to the iPhone, the College Radio Tuner also displays album or station image art, as well as embedded text listing artist, song title, album name, and other information The tuner also provides clickable links to the station’s web site, to the iTunes Store, where listeners can purchase and download the playing song, or to a call-in phone number that the iPhone automatically dials to facilitate listener interaction and talk radio segments.

Station-controlled automation software is supplied by Backbone, who provides central networked hosting for all IBS-SRN member stations. Stations can broadcast both live and automated radio program material,including remote live coverage of school sporting events and concerts. Backbone CTO George Capalbo added, “The Student Radio Network provides community within and among the schools, and it enhances their ability to communicate with alumni, the student body and their families.”

In contrast to commercial radio, IBS Student Radio Network stations are typically run by students rather than professional staff. Programs are a result of both school curricula and student club activities, and include events that involve their schools, communities and the development of the arts. Last fall, the IBS-SRN held IBS Palooza, the Internet’s first multi-venue music festival where participating schools independently showcased local independent musicians and bands, broadcasting simultaneously over a weekend long concert. Schools shared live feeds among stations on the IBS Student Radio Network. A spring IBS Palooza is scheduled for April 2009, and will be available free on the College Radio Tuner.